The Outsiders Hall of Fame

[Spaceman Spiff]

Chatting with the homie @TradeTheBeal!earlier about random stuff, he remarked that old school Wizards player Larry Hughes ran around with Kelly Rowland and tipped his hat to him.  And I said that the old school baseball pitcher Chuck Finley deserved a nod for marrying the Whitesnake girl and somehow surviving.  

 

So this is a Hall of Fame for athletes that might not be in the actual Hall of Fame for their respective sports and the achievements that got them there, (but they can be, more on that in a moment) for things that they did on/off the field that warrant a tip of the cap.  

 

As an example, Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter while on LSD.  More on that here:

 

But I'd also nominate Dock Ellis for his start against the Cincinnati Reds in 1974 where he let it be known that he wasn't going to be intimidated.  This was the "Big Red Machine" but the Pirates were also pretty formidable and Dock wasn't having it.  He drilled leadoff hitter Pete Rose and then went ahead and drilled Joe Morgan and Dan Driessen.  He tried to hit Tony Perez but missed with two fastballs behind him, walked him and then went after Johnny Bench unsuccessfully with fastballs behind his head.  His manager then pulled him from the game.

 

So I think Dock Ellis deserves a spot in a Hall of Fame somewhere.  

 

As mentioned, this isn't about athletic excellence.  Mickey Mantle isn't in this Hall of Fame for hitting 536 homers, but he's in this Hall of Fame for hitting a bunch of his 536 homers while drunk or hungover.  Derek Jeter isn't in this Hall of Fame for 3,465 hits and 5 rings, but he's in this Hall of Fame for sending random hookups home with an autographed baseball and an accompanying gift basket the next morning.

 

It doesn't have to be all bad behavior (although it's pretty fun if it is).  Jim Rice saved a kid's life who got drilled with a foul ball.  He's in this Hall of Fame for that, too.

 

This could be fun.  Let's hear your nominees and I'll update the OP accordingly.

 

The Outsiders Hall of Fame:

 

Larry Hughes:  For running around with Kelly Rowland

 

Chuck Finley:  For marrying and surviving the Whitesnake Chick (Tawny Kitaen)

 

Dock Ellis:  For throwing a no-hitter on LSD, also drilling the Cincinnati Reds first three hitters and trying to drill two more

 

Mickey Mantle:  For hitting 536 homers drunk or hungover

 

Derek Jeter:  For sending random hookups home with an autographed baseball and an accompanying gift basket

 

Jim Rice:  For saving a kid's life who got drilled with a foul ball

 

Mario Lemieux: For being the is the only player to have ever had an even-strength goal, a power play goal, a short-handed goal, a penalty shot goal, and an empty net goal in the same game and also beating cancer.

 

Lyman Bostock:  For offering to return his salary for the month of April '78, after only hitting .150 during that time period, only to have that offer declined and eventually give the money to charity.

 

Bobby Bonilla:  For taking the Mets to the cleaners for 30+ years.

 

Lee Westwood:  For never having read a book in his life, also being the #1 player in golf without winning a major.

 

Joe Delaney:  For while attempting to rescue three children from drowning in a pond in Monroe in northeastern Louisiana and drowning himself.

 

Chris Cooley:  For being a state champion wrestler in high school, depositing a $1.6 million dollar check at a drive through, accidentally sending a picture of his junk online, dating and marrying off-limits cheerleaders and having an art gallery in Leesburg.  

 

Wade Boggs:  For his legendary drinking skills.

 

Andre The Giant:  For his eating and drinking skills and a 16 second fart.

 

Kurt Angle:  For winning an Olympic gold medal with a broken neck.

 

Joe Gibbs 2.0:  For getting the team to the playoffs twice and getting one win during the Dan/Vinny era.

 

John Daly:  For being himself in one of the most lockstep and snooty sports around, gambling away $60 million, for being a better golfer drunk that 99% of people sober, and for being the namesake of what you get if you mix an Arnold Palmer and vodka.  

 

Larry Bird:  For being arguably the greatest ****-talker of all time. 

 

Randy Johnson: For atomizing a bird on national TV.

 

Ric Flair:  For spending more money on spilled liquor than @Foreheadmade last year.

 

Bert Campaneris:  For playing all nine positions in a baseball game.

 

Delonte West:  For hooking up with LeBron's mom.

 

Metta World Peace (aka Ron Artest):  For working a second job at Circuit City just so he could get the employee discount; he used the Bulls' GM as his personal reference.

 

Timmy Smith:  For still holding the Super Bowl record for most rushing yards in a single contest against the Broncos.  Last seen driving a bus in Denver.

 

Donovan McNabb:  For not knowing an NFL game could end in a tie.

 

Ricky Williams:  For quitting the NFL to focus on his true passion of smoking weed.

 

Larry Eustachy:  For hitting up campus apartment parties after a road loss at Mizzou while being employed as the Iowa State basketball coach.

 

Rob Gronkowski:  For purposely missing a free throw at the end of a high school basketball game so his team would finish with 69 points.

 

Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich:  For swapping wives, kids and dogs.

 

Ronnie Lott:  For having his pinky amputated so he could go back into a game.

 

Joel Zumaya:  For hurting himself playing Guitar Hero and missed the 2006 ALCS while pitching for the Detroit Tigers.

 

Sean Taylor:  For destroying Bills punter Brian Moorman during the NFL Pro Bowl and for sacrificing his life to defend his family in a home invasion.

 

Tiger Woods:  For a Perkins waitress, Rachel Uchitel and many more.

 

Pat Tillman:  For quitting the NFL after 9/11, enlisting in the Army Rangers and giving the ultimate sacrifice for his country.  Awarded the Silver Star, Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal.

 

Eugene Robinson:  For being arrested by an undercover Miami police officer, who was posing as a prostitute Saturday night, less than 24 hours before the kickoff of Super Bowl XXXIII. He was charged with misdemeanor solicitation of sex from a prostitute and released from jail early Sunday morning.  This all comes after winning the Bart Starr award for his high moral character.

 

Robert Kraft:  For getting a handy at a strip mall massage parlor, caught on videotape, and then getting off scott-free.

 

Dexter Manley:  For hiding his illiteracy, making Pro Bowls, then learning how to read, succumbing to drug addiction and beating it and defeating brain cancer.

 

Robin Ventura:  For charging 46 year old Nolan Ryan -20 years older than him- and getting his ass beat.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by Spaceman Spiff

[China]

As much as I hate Mario Lemieux, he is the only player to have ever had an even-strength goal, a power play goal, a short-handed goal, a penalty shot goal, and an empty net goal in the same game.

 

Lyman Bostock - The former Minnesota Twins star made news in 1978, when he made an unimaginable offer to then-California Angels owner Gene Autry.  Bostock offered to return his salary for the month of April, after only hitting .150 during that time period, only to have that offer declined and eventually give the money to charity. Bostock was unfortunately murdered later that year.

[TradeTheBeal!]

That Doc Ellis vid is one of my all-time favorite things on YouTube.  Everything about it is just perfect.

 

Bobby Bonilla should be in that hall for taking the Mets to the cleaners for 30+ years.

[TradeTheBeal!]

Also…Kelly Rowland was a savage!

 

 

[China]

Lee Westwood - claims to have never read a book in his life.  Hard to believe but, if true, is quite a feat. I think it would be incredibly difficult to get through life without ever having read a book if you're not illiterate, and while perhaps a dullard, I don't think he's illiterate.  And somehow he managed to make it to the #1 ranked player in golf without ever having won a major.  

[TradeTheBeal!]

The Joe Delaney story is an all-timer.  Rest In Peace, King.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Delaney

[Spaceman Spiff]

6 hours ago, TradeTheBeal! said:

The Joe Delaney story is an all-timer.  Rest In Peace, King.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Delaney

 

This is a really good one.  I'd not heard this story before.

[Dan T.]

I nominate our own Chris Cooley.  Besides being one of the best tight ends in DC history:

 

He was 40-0 as a state champion wrestler in Utah.

 

As a young Redskin, he was named team captain for a game.  Teammates bet him he wouldn't introduce himself to the opposing team's captains during the coin toss as "Captain Chaos." Of course he did, and the name stuck.

 

He once received a $1.8 million bonus.  He deposited it at a Bank of America drive-thru window.

 

He dated a Redskin cheerleader Christy Oglevee, who was the friend of 

another Redskins cheerleader he had been dating.

She was fired for fraternizing with a player. They married in 2008. They divorced in 2012.

 

On September 14, 2008, he posted a closeup photo on his blog of a playbook. Unfortunately, also visible in the pic were his genitals.  The pic stayed up all day before he removed it, saying it was a mistake. As a result, the NFL insisted he undergo a psychiatric evaluation.  He said he passed.

 

Cooley and Cowboy Jason Witten were two good tight ends with way different personalities, to say the least.

Here they are at the NFL Pro Bowl:

 

 

 

Jim Zorn gave him **** for wearing these to practice:

 

 

He majored in art at Utah State and operated an art gallery in downtown Leesburg featuring his pottery and other works.

 

 

 

Et Cetera.

 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by Dan T.

[Busch1724]

Wade Boggs: legendary drinking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_Boggs 

In 2015, Boggs guest starred in the Season 10 premiere ("The Gang Beats Boggs") of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, in which characters in the show tried to drink more than 70 beers while flying across country, emulating a feat Boggs once allegedly accomplished during his career.^[45] Boggs denied that the number of beers was 64, and he reportedly told Charlie Day that he drank 107 beers in a day. One of the characters in the episode confuses Boggs with Boss Hogg; another character believes that Boggs is dead. The scene has become a popular joke among baseball fans.^[46]

 

Should just throw in Andre the Giant just for the eating and drinking.

 

Kurt Angle for winning an Olympic gold medal with a broken neck.

 

Gibbs 2.0 for getting the team to the playoffs twice and getting one win during the Dan/Vinny era.

[PleaseBlitz]

John Daly for being himself in one of the most lockstep and snooty sports around, gambling away $60 million, for being a better golfer drunk that 99% of people sober, and for being the namesake of what you get if you mix an Arnold Palmer and vodka.  

 

 

Larry Bird for being arguably the greatest ****-talker of all time. 

 

 

Randy Johnson solely for atomizing a bird on national TV.

 

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

All fantastic picks, will update the OP shortly.  

[Captain Wiggles]

Speaking of Wade Boggs. Mr Perfect Curt Hennig saved his life on a hunting trip. 

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/06/wade-boggs-opens-up-about-his-guardian-angel-curt-hennig-671296/

 

Quote

“He was my guardian angel. We were on a hunting trip in Iowa and I got entangled in barbed wire. I was climbing a fence and thank God he was there because he got me untangled,” recalled Boggs. “He wound up carrying me a mile on his shoulder as I was bleeding on my right leg. He got me to the hospital and he basically saved my life because I would have bled to death probably on that barbed wire if he wasn’t there.”

 

[Forehead]

Ric Flair for spending more money on spilled liquor than I made last year.

 

On a different note, I always thought the Bert Campaneris "nine positions in nine innings" thing was kind of neat, even if it was just a thing the owner dreamed up to sell tickets.

 

"In 1965, Campaneris became the first player to play every position in a major league game in a thirteen-inning 5–3 loss to the California Angels at Municipal Stadium on September 8. It was an attempt by owner Charlie Finley to sell more tickets, which succeeded as the attendance that Wednesday night was 21,576. Playing a different position in each of the first nine innings, Campaneris started at shortstop, then shifted to second base, third base, left field, center field, right field, first base, pitcher, and catcher. On the mound, he pitched ambidextrously, throwing lefty to left-handers, and switched against right-handers. His night ended when he sustained a minor left shoulder injury while tagging out Ed Kirkpatrick in a collision at home plate to end the top of the ninth."

 

It has been done a few times since, though besides being the first, I think what sets this apart is that he could pitch with either hand and switched back and forth as necessary depending on the batter.  Pretty incredible.

Edited August 1, 2022 by Forehead

[balki1867]

Delonte West - Hooked up with Lebron's mom

Metta World Peace (aka Ron Artest) - worked a second job at Circuit City just so he could get the employee discount; he used the Bulls' GM as his personal reference

Timmy Smith - still holds the Super Bowl record for most rushing yards in a single contest.  The last time I googled his name, he was driving a bus in Denver of all places (for younger Commanders' fans, this guys career is completely unremarkable except for that one game; calling him an NFL journeyman would be an exaggeration)

Donovan McNabb - didn't know that NFL games could end in a tie

Ricky Williams - retired from the NFL to focus on his true passion-- smoking weed

Larry Eustachy - After a road loss at Mizzou, the Iowa St basketball coach decided to console himself by hitting up some apartment parties on campus

Rob Gronkowski - purposely missed a free throw at the end of a high school basketball game so his team would finish with 69 points

Edited August 1, 2022 by balki1867

[Spaceman Spiff]

Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich:  https://allthatsinteresting.com/mike-kekich-fritz-peterson

[Forehead]

Another one I recall, don't remember the name, it was Harry something or other.  During the Mets early days when they were awful, they had traded for this guy for a player to be named later.  And he was so bad that they just sent him back as the player to be named later.  Anyone who was bad enough to be traded for himself deserves a mention.

[balki1867]

36 minutes ago, Forehead said:

Another one I recall, don't remember the name, it was Harry something or other.  During the Mets early days when they were awful, they had traded for this guy for a player to be named later.  And he was so bad that they just sent him back as the player to be named later.  Anyone who was bad enough to be traded for himself deserves a mention.

 

I've always wondered how those 'player to be named later' deals work- like is it literally, "Joe Schmoe if keeps playing like this for the rest of the year, as measured by x, y and z," or "we'll figure it out later," or what? And then what if they can't come to terms on the "figure it out later," part?  Does everything get reversed? I know they all have some very smart lawyers working for them and they have some impartial arbiters that help them figure it out, but the whole thing always seemed odd to me.

 

Also, a couple more:

Ronnie Lott - has his pinky amputated so he could go back into a game (this might not count for this list, this pretty much encapsulates why he's in the regular hall of fame)

Joel Zumaya - Detroit Tigers' pitcher hurt himself playing Guitar Hero and missed the 2006 ALCS

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by balki1867

[Fergasun]

Sean Taylor. Least if all for blowing up punter Brian Moorman in the Pro Bowl.  If you watch that hit it's 2022 clean... shoulder into chest. 

 

Tiger Woods.  Perkins waitress, Rachel Uchitel and many more... 

 

Gilbert Arenas should get a mention here too, being a DC forum.

 

[stoshuaj]

Pat Tillman

Ted Williams

Rocky Bleier

Edited August 2, 2022 by stoshuaj

[balki1867]

19 hours ago, Busch1724 said:

Should just throw in Andre the Giant just for the eating and drinking.

 

Can we put someone in there twice? Andre the Giant also let out the world's greatest fart: Andre The Giant Let Out A 16-Second Fart That Brought Production Of 'The Princess Bride' To A Standstill (sunnyskyz.com)

[EmirOfShmo]

Frank Robinson was a multisport star at McClymonds High School in Oakland, where he played basketball with Bill Russell and baseball with Curt Flood and Vada Pinson, before signing with the Reds in 1953.

[Riggo-toni]

Don't forget Timmy Smith did time in a  Colorado prison for dealing drugs.

 

Which brings me to Jamal Lewis, who orchestrated a drug deal just after being drafted, and faced hard time just a year or so removed from being a 2k rusher and Superbowl winner.

[PleaseBlitz]

JaMarcus Russell - As the first overall pick, held out until he got a contract worth $40 million, then did the absolute minimal amount of work to make sure he received every dollar (starting just 25 games in 3 seasons, with 7 wins), then retired.  

[Captain Wiggles]

5 hours ago, balki1867 said:

 

Can we put someone in there twice? Andre the Giant also let out the world's greatest fart: Andre The Giant Let Out A 16-Second Fart That Brought Production Of 'The Princess Bride' To A Standstill (sunnyskyz.com)

 

He let out a lot worse one night in Japan in a match with Bad News Brown. 💩

[Riggo-toni]

Atlanta Falcons safety Eugene Robinson was arrested by an undercover Miami police officer, who was posing as a prostitute Saturday night, less than 24 hours before the kickoff of Super Bowl XXXIII. He was charged with misdemeanor solicitation of sex from a prostitute and released from jail early Sunday morning.